From Nanny To Wife (19 page)

"Then we had better go," Hope said.

They made it with less than a minute to spare. A small group was all ready waiting. Her heart beating wildly in anticipation, Hope kept her eyes on the volcano. Just when she thought, she could not take the suspense any longer there was a loud rumble and then fire shot into the air. Some people gasped while others clapped. Mesmerized by the bright flames against the black sky, Hope could not look away.

Twenty minutes later found Hope sitting at a table sipping a beer and munching on pretzels. She and Ryan had come upon the bar and decided to stop in for a drink. While waiting for Ryan who had stepped outside to make a call, she glanced around the room and saw a man leaning against the bar staring at her. Not wanting to encourage him, Hope quickly looked away, hoping he would get the hint that she was not interested. Sneaking a peek out of the corner of her eye, she saw him approaching and swore beneath her breath. Obviously, he had not gotten the hint.

"Hello, beautiful."

"Hello," Hope said politely.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

What you can do is get lost,
Hope thought. "I have one, thanks."

He smiled at her, flashing a set of white teeth. His green eyes held a predatory glint that Hope found revolting. "How about I keep you company then?"

Hope gritted her teeth. "No thanks. I'm married."

"So am I," he said. He leaned down and placed his hands on the table. "That doesn't have to stop us. No one needs to know. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

Hope glared at him. "Look, I'm not interested. Why don't you go find someone who is?"

"You don't have-"

"You heard the lady," Ryan said.

Hope slowly turned in her chair and titled her head back to look up at Ryan. His face was blank of all expression. It was the look in his eyes that made her blood run cold. If looks could kill, the stranger would be dead.

"I'm talking to her," the man snarled without a glance in Ryan's direction. "Why don't you get lost, buddy? It's none of your business."

In the blink of an eye, Ryan grabbed the stranger by the back of his shirt and jerked him away from Hope. "There are three things you should know before I have your ass hauled out of here," he said calmly. "One…I am not your buddy. Two…when a woman says she is not interested it means she is not interested. Three…it is my business when it involves my
wife
. Now I am going-"

The security guard showed up at the moment. "Is there a problem?"

"As a matter of fact there is," Ryan said. "This man was harassing my wife."

"I didn't know she was your wife," the man said.

"Please escort him from the building," Ryan said to the guard.

"Was this man harassing you, ma'am?" the guard asked Hope.

"Yes."

The security guard took the man by the arm. "Let's go, sir."

"Thank you," Ryan said to the guard. He turned toward Hope. "Are you all right?"

"Y - yes," she croaked.

Ryan sat down across from her. "Are you sure?"

Hope took a deep breath and let it out. "Yes." She reached out and laid her hand over Ryan's. "Thank you for rescuing me."

"You're welcome."

With a teasing gleam in her eyes, Hope said, "Were you jealous?"

"No," Ryan said, picking up his bottle. "I was angry."

"I know you were," Hope said. "The look in your eyes frightened me." She cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Who did you call?"

"Maggie." Ryan took a drink of beer.

"Is Zoe behaving?" Hope asked.

"She's asleep," Ryan said. "Maggie put a DVD in the player, Zoe was out like a light in no time."

"The poor thing had a busy day," Hope stated. "When does the plane reach Newark?"

"In thirty minutes," Ryan told her. "I called ahead and arranged for a car to pick everybody up. Maggie said she will call me when they get home."

After Hope and Ryan finished their beer, they headed back to the hotel. It had been a long day. Hope was tired and feeling slightly nauseated.

"Can I get you anything?" Ryan asked concerned as they stood in the hallway outside Hope's room.

"No." Hope smiled weakly. "I will be fine." She moved in close and kissed Ryan. The second her lips touched his she was gone. Feelings only he could evoke rose within her. She moaned deep in her throat when his tongue slid between her parted lips. She touched her tongue against his and was rewarded with a groan.

Ryan buried his hands in Hope's hair and tilted her head, deepening the kiss. His body on fire he backed her up until she bumped into the wall and then pressed himself against her. Hearing her whimper, he tore his mouth away and gazed at her. Her lips were swollen from the kiss: her eyes were clouded with passion. She was breath taking. He brushed his lips across hers, carefully removed his hands from her hair, and backed up a few steps.

Her body missing the feel of his, it was on the tip of her tongue to invite him into her room. She had a feeling he would be an amazing lover. Nevertheless, she could not bring herself to ask him.
Her heart was telling her it was not the right time. He was her husband, but in many ways, he was very much a stranger to her. She wanted to know him better before she gave herself to him.

"It's not the right time, is it?" Ryan asked huskily.

"No," Hope whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Ryan said. "I'm not upset. I will see you in the morning, say seven-thirty?"

"Seven-thirty is fine," Hope said. "Good night, Ryan."

"Good night, Hope."

Longing to call him back, Hope stood there and watched him walk away.

Chapter 21

The ringing of Ryan's cell phone woke him the next morning. Squinting, he reached over, grabbed the phone off the bedside table, and flipped it open.

"Hello?" he said tersely.

"Good morning, Daddy."

Ryan's anger at being woken up disappeared. "Good morning, baby girl. Are you being good for Maggie?"

"Yep," Zoe said.

"Good girl." Ryan threw the covers back and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Did you eat breakfast?"

"Lucky Charms," Zoe said.

"My favorite," Ryan declared. "Did you save some for Daddy?"

"Yep," Zoe muttered.

"Thank you," Ryan said. "Can Daddy talk to Maggie?"

"Okay," Zoe mumbled.

"I love you," Ryan told her.

"I love you."

While Ryan was waiting for Maggie to come on the line, he went through his suitcase and took out a pair of pants and a shirt.

"Hello, Mr. Kendall," Maggie said, coming on the line a minute later.

"Hello, Maggie," Ryan said. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine, sir. Zoe is being on her best behavior. I was hoping to do some Christmas shopping with my daughter and grandkids. Would it be all right if I take Zoe with me?"

"Of course," Ryan said. "Just keep an eye on her."

"I will, sir," Maggie promised. "I will let you go. Give Hope my love."

"I will," Ryan said. "Good bye, Maggie."

"Good bye, sir."

Ryan closed his phone and set it back on the bedside table. Running a hand through his hair, he walked to the bathroom and came back a few minutes later. After getting dressed, putting on his shoes and combing his hair, he picked up his jacket and left the room. He made his way along the empty corridor and stopped at Hope's door. An image of the kiss they shared the night before popped into his head and he did his best to shove it to the back of his mind. He rapped his knuckles against the door. It opened immediately to reveal Hope with a hairbrush in her hand.

"Good morning," she said, smiling. "Sorry, but I'm running a little behind. I didn't have my angel to wake me up."

"She woke me up instead," Ryan said, entering the room. He closed the door behind him.

"Lucky you," Hope said with a grin. "I'll be ready to go shortly."

"Take your time." Ryan perched on the bed and watched Hope run a brush through her long hair. "How is your stomach? Are you still feeling nauseated?"

"No," Hope said. "I threw up a few times and then felt better."

Ryan frowned. "You threw up? Why didn't you call me?"

Hope set her brush down and picked her watch up. "What could you have done? Held my hair while I threw up. I think not. The last thing a woman wants is for a man to see her throwing up. It's not a pretty sight. Besides, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." She sat down next to him. "Thank you for being concerned, but really I am fine. Now are you going to take me to breakfast? Or do I need to order room service?"

Ryan glanced down at Hope's feet and saw she wasn't wearing shoes. "Are you planning on going in your socks?"

"I'm going to put shoes on." Hope pressed a kiss to Ryan's cheek before getting up to fetch her shoes.

His skin tingling at the contact Ryan brought a hand up and touched his cheek.

Ryan and Hope decided to have breakfast in one of the hotel's café's. While they waited for their food to arrive, they drank coffee and discussed their plans for the day. There were so many attractions and sights to see in Las Vegas that it was all a little overwhelming. In the end, they agreed to consult with the hotel's concierge. He would know the best places for them to go.

"Did you talk to Maggie when Zoe called?" Hope asked.

"I did," Ryan said. "She said everything was fine."

"Good," Hope uttered. "I hate being so far away from Zoe."

"I don't like it any more than you do," Ryan said.